Dennis Quaid churned out so many enjoyable films in the 90's that it's easy to forget many of them over the years. 2000's fun, Twilight Zone-ish thriller FREQUENCY is one that had totally slipped my mind.
Quaid is so likeable that you forgive his heinous attempt at a New York accent as firefighter Frank Sullivan. It's 1969, he's got a beautiful wife Julia (Elizabeth Mitchell from "Lost") and a 9 year old son Johnny. Life is pretty idyllic except for the emerging serial killer murdering nurses (Julia's profession) in the city.
An incredible aurora borealis rises over NYC, creating the perfect movie atmosphere for Frank to reach people from all over the globe with his prized ham radio equipment.
But the latest guy on the radio lives in the same town and appears to be...his son John thirty years later!
John (Jim Caviezel of "Passion of the Christ") is a NYC police detective, tracking a very similar series of murders. But wait, his Dad Frank died in a massive warehouse fire.
What happens if grown up John saves his Dad from that death by telling him what to expect and how to avoid it?
What happens when he's still alive and impacts all those other people that now have different futures?
Screenwriter Toby Emmerich would explore similar themes as a producer with 2004's "The Butterfly Effect" but here, he's strictly in formula thriller mode.
The movie is more focused on suspense and crime solving with a large dose of sci-fi and family drama mixed in.
Caviezel and Quaid are both very good and in their roles and playing off each other.
Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) plays it straight as John's cop partner, who's got some serious questions about where John is getting his leads on that serial killer.
You have to hand it to the film for keeping its (fantasy) science straight and not pulling you too deep into any time bending dilemmas that divert you from the action.
Purely enjoyable as a lightweight thriller from capable hands, FREQUENCY gets an appreciative B.
A minor hit, it inspired a short lived TV series adaption in 2016.
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